Little League

fivefivesix

Went to watch my younger brothers little league tournament game today. You hear stories on the news about parents that get out of hand and act immaturely, but I guess I never really thought about it since it's one of those "hasn't happened to me" kinds of things. Not any more. More than three seperate times it seemed like parents were ready to just rip each others throats out, over the simplest things, I was stunned that parents could act like this. What example are they setting for the children? Will they grow up thinking that winning is the only thing that matters, and if you don't win you should try to question and challenge the decisions made by others? My father (the coach) was cussed out and booed out by the opposing teams mothers since he apparently changed the teams batting order and didn't let everyone bat, even though he and the other head coach, plus myself and the entire team can prove otherwise. Then, after the game ended in our teams loss, some parents pulled their kids away so they didn't get to tell the other team "good game" and continued to jeer and taunt. I still don't think I'm over the events of today, when did little league baseball (7 8 9 year olds) become the most important thing in the world? When these kids fail are they going to go home to negative feedback from their parents? Is it kick * or don't come home at all now? Coaching might need to come with hazard pay now. Thanks for all who listened, just needed to get that out there so it doesn't boil away in the back of my head.

fivefivesix

Intermediate World Series Championship here in Livermore live on ESPN2. Love watching these games. These kids are good.

PJ

My granddaughters play youth soccer and live in a very upscale neighborhood. Last season, the league mandated "quiet games" where the adults could only clap during the game. My oldest granddaughter opined it was not as much fun as when everybody was yelling.
Pete

hughbetcha

My son is 9 and plays soccor, baseball and football. The football parents are the worst, they make fun of children on the same team if their kids are not playing enough. After every practice I'm just rying to get out of the parking lot but there is a line ten people long to talk(complain)to the coach.

rogue_rob

football is big business in your part of the world Hugh. Parents like to think their kids will be the next Heath Shuler or something[}:)][}:)]

11b6r

Ever notice how polite folks are at a shooting competition- when compared to, say, a little league game? Maybe its that everyone has a gun?[:p]

Horse Plains Drifter

It's sad that today's parents have turned into such pigs.

gearheaddad

I can add another twist to this. My daughter is 14, she has played girls fast pitch softball for 7 years and this will be her last season in the "youth" program offered in our town. At 14 she was hired to be an umpire for the younger teams! All coaches are warned at the start of the season that these kids are paid $15.00 a game. Nice pay for a 14-15 year old! If they are not happy with the umpiring then the league can hire "patched" umps for $35.00-45.00 per game. How much do you want to spend for your child to PLAY a baseball season? I attend most of the games she umps, most people don't know I'm the umps father so it's interesting to listen! They better watch it though!! So far no problems to speak of!
The Coaches are all warned that arguing with an umpire will result in you being thrown out of the game and off the premises. (away from the field). Parents and fans included. A couple of coaches have started whining to my daughter about a call and she just asks nicely, would you like a warning? And then the game goes on. Other than balls and strikes, there are maybe 3-4 times in a game when an umpire NEEDS to make a call, sometimes they're right and sometimes they blow it. It always seems to work out in the end. I coach my daughters "major" team age 13-14 and we are umped by patched umps and the other day he lost count of strikes on one of our girls and she drew a walk to first base with 4 balls and 3 strikes!!
We won 16-5, did the call matter? A game should NEVER be decided by one or two calls by an official in ANY sport. Just my observations and opinions!

headzilla97

I ump about 80 Little league games a year and boy could I tell you some stories.

gearheaddad

quote:Originally posted by headzilla97
I ump about 80 Little league games a year and boy could I tell you some stories.

I bet!! Let's hear the WORST!!! please?

tacking1

I was coaching football at the highschool level in a past life when the opposing coach started harassing one of my corners. He kept yelling "#13 sucks...he won't hit.....throw at him!" It got to be a bit much and I called time and walked across the field and asked the coach to consider his actions in light of the situation. I expressed my concern that while it may be in poor taste when players insult another player, it bordered on ridiculus when the coach did.

We commenced the game and he commenced the insults.

I called another time out and walked calmly across the field and asked him to stop insulting my player. He made a grievous error at that point by directing me to preform a wholly impossible act.

Several security guards later and an EMT, we had settled the matter of insulting the opposing players by eliminating his ability to do so.

My point is. The one true virtue of competeition is sportsmanship. If you take that from the game, then it no longer is.

headzilla97

12 year old LL Allstar game a rain cloud comes over the fieled right before dark. we are in the bottom of the 6th inning the home team is down by 5 going into the inning. well they get the bases loaded with one out and a kid hits a in side the park home run. the next kid strikes out so they have 2 more outs to tie the game. Well its getting real dark because of the rain but the sun is shining behind the front. The next batter turns to my partner and says he cant see the ball so he called the game on the spot. parents coaches went absolutly nuts.

Queen of Swords

While at my son's Little League game last week (oh, and by the way, he won game MVP[^]), my ex and i were listening to one particular "Little League Mom" in the stands behind us. She was complaining about every call as though the umpire actually "had it in" for her son's team, booing the other team, yelling to her kid instructions, telling him to do things the exact opposite way that the coach had just instructed him to, your basic ballfield nightmare. I turned to my ex and commented to him how much she reminded me of his mother, and he agreed. when his little brother was in Pop Warner League football, she would behave in the exact same way, and in general, expecting the kid to carry the whole team, always be the hero. It got to the point that the officials told her that if her butt came up off the bench one more time during a game, she would be banished from attending his games henceforth.
His brother was a pretty damn good little football player. Shame is, he quit the next year and refused to play again, because she ruined it for him by taking the fun out of it.

Also, while attending my son's game, I was shocked by the number of overweight kids on both teams. I know, we all hear the statistics, and I'm not talking about stocky, or husky, or "big-boned" kids, I'm talking obese, with the gut and the man-boobs and everything! It's great that they are getting some physical activity, but, wow, as I said, shocking.

Txs

It boils down to officials needing to exercise control over their game. They hold all the cards.

I've had daughters playing fast-pitch for the past seven years. Besides removing a player from a game due to unsportsmanlike conduct, the rules of the large regional association our leagues are affiliated with allow the umps to order coaches OR spectators from the entire field complex. If they should refuse to leave, their team automatically forfeits the game.

The actions that justify ejection are up to the ump's discretion. An ejection can be protested by a head coach, but this will be ruled on by the governing board at a later date and the party muust still leave when ordered.

An official is there to do more than call balls/strikes. Emotions run high during games, which is expected in any competition, but they need to have enough of a pair to maintain reasonable control of the game.